Neustadter Vogelsang Riesling Grosses Gewächs 2022

A young, distinctly taut Riesling that shows its power not through richness but through drive and salinity. It stands at the very beginning of its development and is currently still closed.

The Vogelsang site in Neustadt supplied the Bavarian royal court in the 19th and early 20th centuries and was celebrated in poetry, before falling into obscurity amid speculation over building land. Its designation as a protected natural area halted the construction plans, and in 2017 the vineyard passed to Christmann. The soil consists of shell limestone more than 200 million years old, brought to the surface when the Upper Rhine Graben formed, and unique in this form within the Mittelhaardt. The slope drops southward at an incline of up to 50%, at the mouth of the Neustadt valley, reaching altitudes of up to 260 metres. The temperature swings between day and night bring tension to the wine.

Riesling, 100% hand-harvested with selective picking into small crates, fermented spontaneously in a large oak foudre. Aged dry, 12.0% ABV.

Razor-sharp, with plenty of green apple and citrus, threaded through with a saline streak. At this young stage it should be decanted, served not too cold, and poured into a sufficiently large glass.

Fresh, vibrant cuisine: cod ceviche with lemon, sea salt and olive oil, a sugar snap pea and radish soup with a bread chip, or a pumpkin and prawn tartlet with lime butter sauce.

The A. Christmann estate in Gimmeldingen has existed since 1798; Steffen Christmann runs it together with his daughter Sophie. It has been farmed biodynamically since 2003, certified by respekt-BIODYN and EU organic. Across 17 hectares, it produces exclusively single-vineyard wines from Riesling and Pinot; the Vogelsang ranks among the estate's VDP.GROSSE LAGE (grand cru) sites.